Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has said that the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) is not inferior to other universities in the country.
Obasanjo stated this on Monday when he played host to some of the university’s officials who came on a courtesy visit and alumni award presentation.
The former president said he has firsthand experience with the institution’s standard, hence his declaration.
He noted that for about 10 years, only one university had existed in Nigeria, the University of Ibadan.
According to him, the second generation of universities, the federal and state universities, were also established just as the third generation, the private universities, also came into existence.
Obasanjo, however, said that despite these efforts, there was still a wide gap in university education in Nigeria, hence the establishment of NOUN, to ease the academic burden for those working or seeking distance learning.
“Despite the availability of universities, we’re still not coping; the gaps keep getting wider, which is why I said the Open University is necessary; it created more avenues and made it convenient for working-class citizens.
“Some people rose, saying an open university is inferior to non-open universities, but I was not discouraged.
“I said, let me go there and taste what they say is inferior. Then I came in, I saw, and I conquered.
“Two distinguished lecturers supervised me and supervised many other PhD students, and if they supervised me successfully, my PhD wouldn’t be inferior.
“So, if mine isn’t inferior and those before me are not inferior, National Open University has come to stay; at some point, we were more than half a million, and we are still growing,” Obasanjo said.
The former president assured the officials of his maximum support for the institution.
Prof. Ganiyat Adesina-Uthman, Director at the Directorate of Advancement and Linkages (DAL) of the National Open University, declared that NOUN has been a great blessing to Nigeria, Nigerians and African countries.
Adesina-Uthman added that the university is not just a federal university but one of its kind in Africa and the biggest on the continent.
The DAL said the institution set out to assist Nigeria in human capital development to meet the international standard for manpower per 1000 people in a sustainable, knowledge-based economy while also effectively training human capital development for neighbouring countries.
She appealed to Obasanjo to support university scholarships for the best programmes, including scholarships for students from the flagship programmes.
Adesina-Uthman listed some of the institutions’ other needs, including renaming some buildings after the donors, a university hospital, a 50-room guest house, and a 1,000-capacity auditorium.
“We need scholarships for some flagship programmes, including Entrepreneurship Studies, Criminology and Security Studies, Mass Communication, Peace Studies and Conflict Resolution and Indigenous Students.
“We also want our Advancement and Linkages building named after the donor; University Hospital, 50 rooms; and NOUN Guest House, a 1000-capacity auditorium.
“Also, community services to our study centres’ host communities, such as consumables to primary and secondary schools in our host communities, e.g., customised textbooks and uniforms; water and toilet provisions; bus stop stands and so on,” she said.
Also speaking, Prof. Wilfred Ngwuanyi, the Director of Olusegun Obasanjo Centre for African Studies at NOUN, commended Obasanjo’s intellectual rigour, strategic foresight, and advocacy for African self-reliance.
He appealed to Obasanjo to assist the centre in collaborating with EFCC on research and publications.
He also sought the collaboration of the Chinese embassy in establishing a Chinese cultural centre through the former president.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the event’s highlight is the Alumni Award conferment on the former president. (NAN)
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